For most of us, college is the first taste of an independent life and real world. Many among us move out of our parents’ homes, take charge of personal finances, and seriously start thinking about career choices for the first time. When we hear stories of our parents, it is apparent that good college grades would guarantee well-paid jobs and lifetime career security in older times but times have significantly changed since then. Companies today have higher expectations from college graduates. This is why students should pursue part-time jobs in college because doing so teaches them valuable skills which significantly enhance their career prospects.
Employers now expect college graduates to possess certain soft skills in order to succeed in today’s intensely competitive work environment. Having a part-time job in addition to academic workload teaches students better time-management skills and also improve their self-confidence. The greater workload due to part-time job helps students become more responsible (Collegeboard). All of these qualities help students quickly settle in their work lives after graduation while those without part-time jobs during college life may feel overwhelmed at first.
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College students should also pursue part-time jobs because they help students learning financial planning skills which come in handy in the real world. Students learn more about money when they have to earn it and use the limited income to take care of several types of college expenses (University Parent). Financial mistakes during college are less expensive and by the time students enter the real world, they have better financial management skills.
Students should also go for part-time jobs because it gives them work experience and, thus, competitive edge over the competition. If the students go for part-time jobs which is related to their major and desired career field, it will increase their appeal to employers because such students already have strong foundation. In other words, they will quickly get settled and may need less training. Even if students go for part-time jobs which are unrelated to their major or targeted career field, they still end up learning valuable soft skills and have a stronger resume to show than their counterparts (Schwab).
Part-time jobs help students develop realistic expectations about real world after graduation which means they can create more effective future plans. Work experience helps them learn how organizations work and what skills are in demand. As a result, they can take steps to develop those skills or further improve them to have an edge over the competition in the job market. Another benefit of part-time jobs is that it helps students develop social and people skills and even expand their professional network (StateUniversity). Job referrals sometimes come from the most unexpected sources, thus, part-time jobs do not only help students develop more realistic expectations but may also lead to dream career opportunities students could not have gotten otherwise.
Fortunately, even studies support the benefits of part-time jobs. A study at Brighton University in 2000 reported students with employment experiencing certain positive outcomes such as increased confidence, improved organization skills, and enhanced employability. The study also found that students often don’t realize the skills they are learning and also don’t realize the benefits of those skills until sometime later (Blake and Worsdale).
It is clear that part-time employment benefits college students. Thus, all students should pursue part-time employment even if there is no financial need because they will be better prepared for work life after graduation and will have an edge over the competition in the job market. Even employment which is unrelated to major results in learning of soft skills that are desired by employers. Thus, part-time employment is a win-win situation for students no matter what their personal circumstances may be.
- Blake, Joanne and Graham J. Worsdale. “Incorporating the learning derived from part-time employment into undergraduate programmes: experiences from a business school.” Journal of Further & Higher Education August 2009: 191-204.
- Collegeboard. Students & Part-Time Work. 29 June 2013 http://professionals.collegeboard.com/
- Schwab, Krissy. Should You Get a Part-Time Job In College? 13 August 2012. 29 June 2013 http://www.quickenloans.com/
- StateUniversity. Student Jobs: 7 Benefits of Part-Time Jobs During College. 29 June 2013 http://www.stateuniversity.com/
- University Parent. Benefits of Working Part-time During College. 29 June 2013 http://www.universityparent.com/
